Greg Black-Granger
Childhood Born in the slums of the Moridebo district on Coruscant, Greg was the bastard child of Anthony Black and Sharna Granger. His parents, unable to decide whose surname their child should take, decided that both of their surnames will be included. Thus, Greg was registered on the Coruscanti birth registry as Greg Black-Granger. With the little money his parents had, they booked a flight upon an AA-9 transport to the planet Kathol. Travelling for 3 weeks, they finally arrived at their destination and joined the worker camp as they challenged the local government for living permits on the planet. During this time, his father began work on a local mine as part of the camp's worker program whilst his mother looked after the young Greg. It would take four years for the living permit to granted, at which point Greg had already began pre-school on the camp and the Black-Granger family expanded as Dan, Gael, Kyp and William were born. The change in the family dynamc unsettled Greg, who began misbehaving in his early years of school as the formally devoted-on child looked to recieve the attention his parents once gave him. His misbehaving caused his teachers to ignore his education, leaving him to do what he wanted as long as he didn’t interrupt his classmates. Once again the family dynamic would change, as his parents filled for divorce. It'd be several months until Greg found out why, his father having had several affairs whilst his mother had several affairs herself. The family was split up and he lived with his father for most of the time, the freedom of doing what he wanted most of the time too great to resist in his youth whilst he visited his mother and siblings on the weekends. Leading up to his pre-teens, Greg's youth remained the same. His education was below standard, most of his time in school being spent on the fields playing Bolo-Ball or talking with the few humans that attended the mainly-alien filled school. It'd be during school that his alien prejudices would develope. As childhood turned to adolence, the dawning that unless he changed he would end up like his father: working in the mines for pitiful wages. He began settling down in lessons and attempted to catch up with his class, where he was three years behind. It would be too late, he failed to require the grades needed to enter the local college and began working for Kathol Mining Corporation. Greg worked with the company for a month, not finishing the companies training courses before he left and began living off the Government's 'Unemployed Scheme'. He began falling into the Granger family way, drinking every night and ending up in barfights fuelled by the alcohol-filled air. It would be his mother that got him out of the taverns. She gave him a choice of rejoining the Mining Corporation or joining a company of his choice. Not believing her, Greg brushed aside the threat. When she brought out the applications forms and law-supported job contract, Greg went to the local recruitment office in search of a job. At the office, he found an application to the Imperial Academy. Deciding to join, Greg filled the form out and sent if off. He got a reply after three days. Taking a shuttle to the Imperial Academy based on Kathol, Greg began taking the academy with much determination. Galactic Empire Imperial Enlistment He was originally in Class 2, comprised of seven other individuals assigned to a senior instructor. Within a week, Greg was transferred into an individual class after proving he wasn't like the average student. For two months Greg attending lectures, practiced fieldcraft, learnt how to pilot ships and ceremonial duties. Sitting down for his final exam, he achieved an overall score of 87% and graduating. Greg now faced a choice: he had to choose a branch. Almost instantly he dismissed the Imperial Army and Navy, saying it was "too common". Instead, Greg looked to the Directorate of Imperial Intelligence. Sending his application off, Greg patiently waited for an answer back. He never received one. His tutor, seeing the sort of role Greg wanted, contacted the Imperial Colonial Police. They replied back, offering a position under Kris Tan. Accepting, Greg was transported to Corellia and met up with his partner. Together, they made a series of raids in Corellia based on intelligence that several rebel spyrings were operating in the capital; the raids resulted in fifteen arrests and the spyrings dissolving in panic. Taking his newly assigned shuttle, the Sentinel-Class 709, Greg began to take the captured personal to the Victory-class Star Destroyer Widowmaker. Enroute, he received a transmission that Kris Tan had been arrested. He still, to this day, doesn't know why. Fighting for the Empire After handing the prisoners to COMPForce officials, Greg received a transmission from Moff Kiltar. Sorosuub forces were attacking the sector of Mayagil, along with raids by Order of Krath pirates. Greg was to immediately head to the sector and lead Colonial Polices forces in a defensive strike. It took Greg three days to arrive at the Colu system, where a large amount of Sorosuub forces had began their assault. For two weeks, Greg furiously fought the hordes off as the Imperial defences were hardened by experiance and reenforcements. Within the Colu system alone, Greg fought on three planets before receiving a long-awaited transmission. He had been promoted to Corporal. He had completely skipped the rank of Private First Class, a rare occurrence with the Galactic Empire. Along with his promotion, he received new orders to "calm" a rebellion on H'nemthe. On arrival at H'nemthe, he was briefed by a Naval Lieutenant that had been fighting in the system. The rebellion had been caused by a Krath pirate called Nomak Drome, in the hope that he could take control of the planet's government through brute force. Quickly getting to work, Greg stopped rebellions on several cities and succeeded in arresting two of the rebellion leaders. This caught Krath's attention, who began a full-scale attack. This caught the Imperial forces by surprise, the unexpected surge of personnel catching many sentries off-guard. It was during the attack that Greg lost his left arm, several angry wookies tearing it off as he covered retreating Imperial forces during one of the many gurilla raids. The Empire would lose control of the planet, the captured Krath forces not worth the men that were lost on that day. Despite the loss of the planet, Greg was promoted to Staff Sergeant for his valiant work and told to return to Coruscant for a debriefing. Once there, he was instantly pointed towards Thyferra and told to assist Naval forces working against the Rebel Alliance as they assualted the bacta-filled planet. Teaming up with Execurus Eden and Kato Forn, the three of them helped hold the planet for a week alongside other elements of the Imperial Navy. Their efforts failed when Lord Power betrayed the Empire, his loyalist legion leaving a sizeable gap in the defense as they fled to Republica. The Rebel Alliance concentrated their forces into this gap, overwhelming what little defenses were there and flanking the remaining forces, eventually succeeding in capturing the planet. As Greg began to make his escape off the planet, he would findd out through communications chatter that a young Lieutenant in the 4th Imperial Fleet hadn't obeyed orders to cover the gap left by Lord Power. A complaint was sent to Naval Command but "mysteriously" went missing after Execurus Eden was captured. Greg heard of his capture after pulling out of hyperspace to receive latest updates regarding the galaxy. Turning the shuttle around, Greg began to head back in hopes of rescuing Eden. It turned out he was un-needed, after Eden escaped a rebel frigate onto a bayonet-class light cruiser that he commendeered.. As he returned to Coruscant, Greg headed to the Imperial Government headquarters for his debriefing. He was told to look for two Imperials to join his team; which currently consisted of himself and William Pennyworth. Rather than look at personal already in departments, Greg decided to look to the Imperial Academy and mold the Imperials to his standards. Whilst there, he also took up a job as an Academy tutor specialising in COMPNOR and close-quarter combat techniques. It'd be during one of his lectures that he'd meet two potential members for his team: Edward Carter and Timothy McVale. Watching from the shadows, he observed their behaviour and skills before officially approaching with an application to join. Both accepted and joined Greg's team upon graduation. Their first mission together would be a planet-wide anti-terrorism operation on Kuat, as recommended by Imperial High Command. A plan was quickly devised and after two weeks, the operation was completed with absolute success. Forty rebel-terrorists were arrested and placed into COMPForce's hands for interrogation. Due to the success of the operation, Greg was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and granted control of the Nebulon-B Frigate "Crog's Grotto" along with a personal escort squadron of TIE-scouts. It'd be onboard the ship that he'd met Kate Tilney, a pilot with the 271st Interceptor Squadron attached to the "Crog's Grotto". After dating for several months, including a long-term operation on Coruscant which would result in eighty terrorists being captured through intelligence and undercover work, Greg and Kate would get married onboard the COMPForce flagship, the Widowmawker. Shortly after the Coruscant Operation and Greg's wedding, William Pennyworth deserted. Taking pursuit, Greg captured his former-partner and put him in a arrest cell aboard "Crog's Grotto" for trial. Pennyworth never made it to trial, with the formation of the Imperial Secret Police and the birth of his two children, Cassy and James, taking up the vast majority of Greg's time. Things would remain quiet for a while, Greg's role within the Secret Police changing more to an advisor of the throne than a field officer. The first Imperial Secret Police operation that Greg would participate in would be in Elrood, where the newly-formed Red Star Alliance and Kathol Republic were attempting to gain control of an Impeiral sector. Assigned to act as an advisor to the Second Imperial Fleet, who were struggling against over-whelming forces, Greg entered the battle and gradually began to stablise the planets' defences until he was reassigned to command Bespin's security forces. At Bespin, he'd link up with the Sith Lord Maximus Archer, who had recently rejoined the Empire. During his time on Bespin, Greg would play a game of cat and mouse with Nick Doom for several months. Greg stalked, followed and charged at Doom's force until the attack eased off and Greg was ordered back to Coruscant. Chiss Ascendary Chance of a lifetime At Coruscant, Greg received a promotion to First Lieutenant and a meeting with Isoldor Storm. The meeting was about a job position as Chief of Medicine for a soon-to-be released medical company owned by the Chiss Ascendary. Greg took the job, the chance to have free reign a large deciding factor as well as having more time with his family. He instantly turned to Edward Carter and Timothy McVale, who he had gotten to know well and become good friends with, for help in managing the company. They agreed and after handing in their discharge papers, travelled to Csilla to begin preparations. Once at Csilla, Greg was carted off to the governmental houses and officially presented the rank of Director (equal to Syndic) Darkest Hour As Greg waited for the Chiss Ascendary to officially create Cortar Medical, with the cash capital awaiting transfer once the latest construction works were finished. In the system of Roche, Greg led a small team moving ships around for the Chiss Navy. It be leading a squadron of N-1 starfighters to the ship graveyard that Greg would hear the news of Isoldor Storm's murder. The Chiss Ascendary instantly became a place of madness, with small groups forming to challenge for the leadership of the Ascendary. With the key staff of Cortar Medical scattered around the galaxy, Greg formed plans for them to unite as they awaited the outcome of what was happening. Meeting in a local bar at Roche IV, they discussed what was potentially going to happen and how they would be involved. Everyone agreed to wait, pushing the plans for Cortar Medical back further. This would be a grave mistake. As they waited, the eXiles had managed to obtain leadership of the Chiss Ascendary and took everything of value. From capital ships to funds, the Chiss Ascendary lay in ruins for whoever would take control. Greg heard that the eXiles had taken what they thought was owed to them but he always thought it was out of greed. A few days later, another group took the Chiss Ascendary via hostile takeover. This group was called Black Nebula. Agents enforced the change, with those that were loyal to the Chiss Ascendary scattering around the galaxy. The only plus from this was that Greg's brother, Dan, managed to achieve control of Zone Supplies Limited. This, however, was the one positive thing from Black Nebula. With the plans of Cortar Medical destroyed, his career with the Galactic Empire unable to be revivied and all personal funds gone; Greg returned home to Kathol with his family. He stayed there for three years, looking after his children and assisting the local government with security issues. It wouldn't be until Dan contacted him asking for help with Zone Supplies Limited that he'd return to the Galactic front. Lies and conspiracy Dan placed Greg as 2IC of Zone Supplies Limited, giving him full access to the company and it's contents. It was a poor sight, the company barely able to keep itself afloat. Money was needed quickly so Greg began an audit to see where money could be saved and where it could be made. As he done this he found that the companys unique items, which no other faction had the blueprints too, had been given to eXile factories. Still bitter about the blow they had given the Chiss Ascendary, Greg advised Dan to retract the blueprints and begin charging for their use once more. This seemed to be a good way of getting some much needed cash that was needed to revive the fallen company. Quickly agreeing, Greg and Dan pulled the blueprints off the factories. Moments later, complaints were sent to them that the factories were no longer producing. An argument began between Greg and one of the former directors of Zone Supplies Limited, who had also been the second-in-command of the Chiss Ascendary. It was heated, the argument taking place via holocommunications. Disgusted by the attitude that Zone Supplies Limited was there only to provide blueprints and nothing else, Greg released his position and walked away from the company. He received a lift from his brother, Kyp, and together they went to tidy up some family business. His father mysteriously dying during that time together. As they were in hyperspace, Dan began offering the blueprints to buyers that were interested. His plan was to use the money to rebuild Zone Supplies Limited, with the rental fees directly paying for construction work. It however failed. Rather than have the funds go direct to Zone Supplies Limited, they funds were diverted to Dan's account. The owners of Zone Supplies Lmited quickly released Dan from his position and, rightly so, declared him a thief. Those that had sent money to him quickly jumped on the bandwagon. Despite arguing his case, Dan was branded a galactic thief. It didn't end there, Greg was also mentioned as playing a part despite him having left a week before. The accusations would be retracted, with evidence being found by investigators that Greg played no part in the scam. Cloud City A return Once Greg and Kyp returned from their family business, which included the negatation of building two cities for the Black-Granger family, Greg pondered a return to the Galactic Empire. Heading to Coruscant, he arranged a meeting with the then-Grand Moff Goth to discuss him returning to active service. He was told that he'd have to serve six months in a nationalised company before he could return, even they it'd only be to the Navy or the Army. Suspicions were around following the collapse of the Chiss Ascendary, his long time out of service and his brother's scam attempts. Disappointment hit Greg hard, it seemed to him that the Empire had no need for someone that would have given their life it ordered to. Despite this, Greg joined Cloud City on a tempory basis as a favour until a decision could be made. Having been brought close to debt after a heavy strike, Greg joined with the hope that he could progress up the ranks quickly with little fuss. Getting assigned to logistical work, Greg began work on transporting prospecting vehicles to the main system that Cloud City were to work in for that time. A new perspective Whilst Greg was in Cloud City, he kept track of what was happening in the Galactic Empire. Out of its influence and with bitter disappointment releasing his perfect view, Greg saw what had happened in the short time he was gone and what had really happened when he was there. Officers that had been junior to Greg were being placed as fleet commanders, the Empire was trying to cover up the un-needed assault on citizens by a Naval Lieutenant that had tried to do Greg's former job and the recent promotion of Kiger Wulf to Deputy Minister. For the first time in his life, Greg began to see how others saw the Empire. Something that rattled his belief in the Empire. Greg tried to find the root of this, when his former CO's voice came into his head. Crog, he leader of the Imperial Secret Police, had once told him that those that were in power ensured that their power was maintained. In this case, it was Grand Moff Goth securing his power via Kiger Wulf. As such, Greg found the root of why the Empire had fallen so badly. Everyone were just yes men, never daring to stirke out with a new idea that could better the Empire. The only way Greg could correct this would be to achieve enough status in the galaxy so he could walk into a position in the Empire and start to help correct these problems. His ticket to this was via Cloud City. He tried to get noticed, show the leaders that te was the one that could return the company to its former glory. Yet he couldn't get noticed. It was ineffective, with personal leaving almost daily as the people they were to be led by left or became unreachable. Power lay in one one persons hand and that power wasn't going to be deligated to make a successful company. Greg resigned, stating personal reasons, and began heading to his home in the Kothlis to help Kate in raising the children. The Oath As Greg stopped in an Outer Rim station for refueling and resupplying, word came from a trusted friend that his brother had been arrested. Further investigation by Greg revealed that Kyp had been the one to be arrested. Turning his ship towards the main system of Cloud City, he took flight to try and get his brother set free. He failed. Kyp was executed for treason, settling the decision to leave for Greg. If the Glactic Empire placed people in command of their companies who would executed a person for no reason then they didn't deserve his help. Swearing an oath to his brother, Greg promised that those that were responable would be dealt with in what means he could. Unemployed, Greg didn't bother looking for a new job. He was still an Imperial at heart, with nothing else coming close to his ideals. Instead of taking a humdrum job, Greg slipped into the darkness. New Imperial Order Enlistment It was his enlistment with the New Imperial Order that would see Greg return. After several months resting at his family home, he had an unexpected vistor. Timothy McVale, who he hadn't seen or spoken to since leaving Cloud City, came to him with a proposition. As both still favoured the Imperial ideology, he recommended that they both join the New Imperial Order. Greg was wary; he knew little of them other and had doubts that it'd be equal to the Galactic Empire. Yet a part of him still wanted to fight, to try and make a difference in the large galaxy. Grudgingly, Greg and Tim arranged a meeting with one of the New Order's recruiters at a neutral station in the Orus Sectors. The discussions regarding joining were long and after a long night, the decision was made to enlist. Both were debriefed by the Imperial Security Bureau regarding their pasts before being entered into the Imperial Academy. Once again, Greg was back at an Academy and his first glimpses into the New Order were remarkably similiar to that of the Galactic Empire. Efficency was evident and as Greg speed through the Academy in two weeks, it seemed his decision to enlist was paying off. Graduating at the rank of Sergeant, a significant drop for the former Lieutenant, he entered the ranks of the New Imperial Army. It was just Greg's luck to enter the Army with a new Army Commanding Officer taking command; reforms looking increasingly likely. Thankfully, the reforms were just in adding of a new Legion. Assigned to 'Phoenix Brigade, 2nd Legion' under Zavior Davik, Greg was pleasantly suprised to find that Timothy McVale and his brother, Dan Black-Granger, had also been placed within the brigade. There was little time for reunions, the Brigade being instantly sent to Felucia to counter on-going threats to the planet's security. The long trip was filled with planning, Greg having to recieve the constantly updating orders regarding the operation and update his own plans to accomodate them. Upon arrival at the planet, he was introduced to his company and began to perform planetary patrols as the New Order tightened the security on it's new planet. The operation lasted for three weeks and proved hugely successful, the aggressors withdrawing from the conflict upon sight of the dispatched Task Force from the New Imperial Navy. Iron Brigade On return to the Bothan Sector, Greg was once again caught in reformation plans regarding the Army. 2nd Legion and Phoenix Brigade were to be merged back into the 1st Legion and Iron Brigade. With no conflicts or wars occuring, the Army feel into a period of lull and training. Eager to rise up the ranks, Greg took the position of 'Army Training Manager' and began preparing for a new boot camp. Designed to give Academy graduates all the skills needed to survival war, the course was named 'Hell Week' for it's brutal methods and tough conditions. For his work, he was promoted to Sergeant First Class. The lull however wasn't all great. Timothy McVale, the person who talked Greg into the New Imperial Order, resigned after rumoured disputes between himself and the Army Commanding officer, Colonel Vincent Lytear. For almost a year, Tim wouldn't contact any Black-Granger. Zavior Davik, the brigade commanding officer, also resigned to continue his shipyard ventures. It seemed the Army had hit dark times. Enlistment was low and the brigade was without a clear command structure. In an attempt to assist, both Greg and Dan strived to bring more recruits to the Army and their efforts paid off; several new companies being added to the Brigade by the end of the Kothlian month. The new companies also brought a new face as the Brigade Commanding Officer. The newly promoted Captain Marius Drake, recently returned after a bout of sickness, quickly brought the Brigade back to it's former glory. Action arrived quickly, with a call for assistance from allies taking the New Imperial Army to system of Meerec. Conflict had only recently started in the system, allowing the New Imperial Order to quickly assume control of the space as supplies were brought down to assist in the defence. Deployed with a squadron of Combat Cloud Cars, Greg took up the defense of a city and succesfully fought off an attack; buying enought time for reinforcements to arrive with much needed troops. With the system restored once again, the New Imperial Army handed defensive duties to the Second Naval Fleet and returned home. Awaiting him was the position of Brigade Executive Officer, his performance during the Meerec conflict and his work as Army Training Manager enough to warrant the position. Thankful that his efforts were paying off, Greg began to fine-tune the brigade and handled the daily organisation whilst Marius Drake handled the adminstrative side. With the Brigade gaining more and more companies daily, more dmissions were assigned for the men to do. One such task, escort duties for BBC prospectors, allowed Greg to personnally led the month-long event. His leadership was noted in the efficency of the men. With the job completed, they returned to the Bothan Sector to find Marius Drake had strucken ill once again. It meant Greg had to assume control of the Brigade, just before a major internal-operation. Thankfully, the operation proved highly successful and with its success came promotion to 2nd Lieutenant and the full position of Brigade Commanding Officer. Expansion of Duties With his new position and rank, Greg applied for membership in COMPNOR. He had seen several problems with the Imperial Academy, some that he had experianced when he was with the Galactic Empire and some as a CO, that could be easily resolved with some gentle tweaking. The application was accepted and once again, Greg was an instructor. The next two months were spent on re-organising the brigade, allowing Greg to efficently run the overflowing unit, whilst also ensuring the training of the Academy was fine-tuned for maximum results. He strove to ensure the brigade remained the jewel in the Army's crown. There wasn't a single day that the Brigade wasn't assigned to a certain task, due to Greg constantly searching for more activities to be done by his men. Sometimes it involved directly asking a Moff if he required anything to be done, or barraging into the Legion Commanding Officer's office demanding new assignments. He had seen what happened when soldiers became bored and was insistant that it didn't happen again. As the brigade, and the Army, expanded it's roles and duties the formation of several new units were seen. The Army Engineering Corp was formed, designed to assist in the removal of derelict buildings and construction of public services, whilst the Army Logistics Corp was also formed to accomodate the increasing amount of haulage requests coming from various departments. It saw Greg manage and operate each new unit, carefully weaving their duties to that of the Brigade's. From the rag and tags that was once the Army, came the more uniformed and professional New Imperial Army with Iron Brigade leading the way. Promotion to 1st Lieutenant came quickly and shortly after that, promotion to Captain. His COMPNOR duties were also expanding, Greg being made 'Dean of Students' in light of his work for the Academy. To new ventures After a year of service to the New Imperial Army, it was time for Greg to transfer. Imperial High Command had commended him on his work for the Academy and saw him as the perfect successor as it's lead. Preparations were made for the transfer, which would also see several other members of Iron Brigade transfer to various branches as the Imperial Armed Forces began to prepare for a major reformation program. Although his position as Brigade Commanding Officer was effectively void, Greg continued to do the duties until the reforms were completed. It was a stressful time for all, in particular the loyal members of the brigade that were to be split into different branches. Yet it was for the best and Greg could understand the decision to make the reforms, which would only better the New Imperial Order. He left his office as a Captain in the New Imperial Army with a heavy heart, yet he knew that the government he had come to love was continuing in it's development within the galaxy. Now as the Provost-General and a seat on the Select Committee, Greg is well aware that his decisions for the Academy will effect the future of the New Order; even if only slightly. The Bureau As the year changed, Greg found himself in an obscure position. His Brigade was to be rebadged and broken up as a Military-wide reformation began to enhance performance and adapt to the changing diplomatic situation the New Order was in. The Army Commanding Officer, Vincent Lytear, offered him two choices: join the Imperial Navy as a Lieutenant or explore another option. This option would be the Imperial Security Bureau. Contacting the former Army Liaison, Greg secured the required qualifications to join the Bureau as a full-time agent with the rank of ISB-Captain. With his experience in COMPNOR, Greg remained as the Academy Commandant whilst also working full-time as it's ISB Liaison. The two duties complimented each other and a few months later, a promotion to ISB-Major was given. Galactic Empire Returning home Rumors had been flying around the galaxy that a merger between the Galactic Empire and the New Imperial Order would be happening shortly. Weeks went by and the rumors increased until eventually, at an Imperial wide meeting, the Executor announced the merger. It had been a long-time coming but the general feeling was that it would only enhance the Imperial might. This would prove rightly so as Eidola assualted the small world of Agrilat. Having been at Coruscant, overseeing the re-establishment of the Bureau's headquarters, Greg led ISB units to the planet and immediately dived into the conflict. During the Battle for Agrilat, Greg revived his former image as a sturdy defender as his arrest count increased dramatically each day. Upon conclusion of the fighting, control of the ISB elements were handed over and Greg returned to Coruscant as a Lieutenant Colonel. Trivia *In Year 9, as co-owner of CLT, Greg sold the company to SYT LLC for a sum of 275,000 credits. *Has created images for three GNS posts More to be added. Category:Human Category:Individuals